Appleton, Victor – Tom Swift Jr 13 – And His Space Solartron

Fearing Island, the Swifts’ rocket research base, was a thumb-shaped stretch of sand dunes and scrubgrass. It lay not far off the Atlantic coast and was guarded by drone planes and radar.

From the island airfield, the travelers drove to the special launching area for the Challenger. Here the great silver spaceship, already checked and loaded for flight, stood glistening in the morning sunshine.

“Just think,” murmured Phyl, gazing in awe at

66 SPACE SOLARTRON

the powerful craft, “the Challenger has actually been to the moon!”

Bud added proudly, “She may not look very streamlined, but this baby can travel like a comet!”

The huge boxlike cabin, poised on four hydraulic landing struts, was encircled by a framework of slender rails for the swiveling radiator antennas which beamed out the repelatron force rays.

Although the ship had auxiliary rockets for emergency maneuvering, its main motive power was the repelatron drive. This drive system could be used to propel the ship in any direction by exerting a repulsion force against the earth, moon, or any heavenly object.

“All aboard!” Tom called, after a last-minute check with the mechanics and ground crew.

One by one, passengers and crew trooped up the accommodation ladder to the landing platform which projected from the front of the cabin. The landing platform was used for small auxiliary craft which could be berthed in the ship’s hangar compartment.

Entering through an air lock, the space voyagers zoomed upward by elevator to the flight deck. Here a pair of bucket seats for the pilot and copilot stood in front of twin quartz-glass view windows. There were also seats for passengers and observers.